Page 16 of Venom (St. Sebastian’s at Cravenmoor Academy #1)
Rafferty
I slip out of the room, the click of the latch unnaturally loud in the quiet corridor.
Fucking hell. Stone is a certifiable lunatic.
A black mamba. He brought a fucking black mamba to an academy full of mafia heirs.
It’s the most audacious, insane power play I’ve ever seen, and I have to respect the sheer balls on the man.
I know he won’t be able to resist my offer to spar.
He will be bored stupid within twenty-four hours and will need to let off some steam.
Making my way back to my room, I spot Maddox Headley watching me. He averts his gaze when I notice. It pisses me off. Striding over to him, I grip his shirt and shove him up against the wall. “What?”
“Nothing,” he says. “Get your fucking hands off me.”
“Make me,” I challenge.
Maddox’s face pales, his eyes darting around the empty hallway looking for backup that isn’t coming. I tighten my grip, my knuckles digging into his collarbone, and enjoy the flicker of real fear that crosses his features.
“You’ve been hovering like a fucking fly on shit all day, Headley,” I snarl, my voice low. “You got something to say, or do you just enjoy watching your betters from the shadows?”
He tries to shove me away from him, but he can’t. “I wasn’t watching anyone.”
I slam him back against the wall, the impact echoing with a satisfying thud.
“Liar. The next time I catch you staring, I’ll pluck your fucking eyes out and make you eat them.
Stay out of my way.” I release him abruptly, and he stumbles, gasping for air as he straightens his rumpled shirt.
He scurries away like the rat he is, without another word.
He’s planning something, plotting, and whatever it is, it has to do with Venetia.
Maddox Headley is a weasel from a family of weasels.
The Headleys are into everything dirty and low rent.
Prostitution rings, back-alley drug trades.
The kind of shit Venetia Corbyn-Hale was apparently trying to burn down.
That makes me suspicious, but it also doesn’t add up.
This goes higher up than the Headleys. They are playing at being mafia, whereas most of us here are the real deal.
Whatever his interest in Venetia is, it’s not the hit, but I will find out. And I know just the person to ask.
Making my way outside and across the courtyard to the bar that sits on the edge of campus, I push open the door and get hit in the face with bass music. Spotting my target by the bar, as usual, I make a beeline for him, the crowds parting for me like the Red Sea.
“Jefferson,” I say, clapping him on the shoulder and making him jump. “We need to have a chat.”
Jefferson spills some of his drink down his front. His eyes, already wide and shifty, dart around the crowded bar before landing on me. The fake bravado he usually wears melts away.
“Rafferty,” he stammers, wiping his chin. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Cut the shit, Jefferson.” I grab the back of his collar and drag him away from the bar, shoving him into a dark, sticky alcove near the loos. The stench of stale beer and disinfectant hangs in the air. “Maddox Headley. He’s acting shifty. Why?”
Jefferson pales, trying to pull away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I slam my hand against the wall next to his head, making him flinch. “You’re the little sewer rat of this academy. You know every piece of filth that gets whispered. So, you’re going to tell me what you know, or I’m going to break your fucking jaw.”
He swallows hard, sweat beading on his upper lip. “I don’t know anything.”
“You fear him more than me?” I ask, slightly incredulous. Fucking idiot.
His gaze shoots from side to side, and he licks his lips. “I don’t know anything about… the hazing.”
That grabs my attention. “Hazing?” I hiss. “What hazing?”
“Ana asked Maddox. He’s into it.”
“Who is the target?”
He blinks. “VCH.”
VCH. Venetia. Of course. Ana is a predictable cunt.
“What. Fucking. Hazing?” I growl, my voice dropping to a dangerous low.
“I don’t know!” Jefferson squeaks, his eyes wide with terror. “Something to welcome her. Put her in her place. Ana’s pissed about her being here.”
I let him go, disgusted. He almost collapses in on himself, a pathetic heap of fear. I have what I need. Ana, that vindictive bitch, is using a bottom-feeder like Headley to do her dirty work. It’s a classic move, but it’s a mistake. She’s underestimated who she’s fucking with.
“When?”
“Tomorrow night. The old boathouse.”
The old boathouse. A derelict, half-rotten structure on the edge of the private lake. Secluded. Perfect for a little welcoming party. My fist tightens in his shirt again. “How does he expect to get around Stone?”
Jefferson shakes his head, genuine fear in his eyes. He doesn’t know the details.
“He doesn’t care,” I mutter, letting Jefferson go. The little shit slides down the grimy wall, a pathetic mess. “Maddox is stupid enough to think he can take on a man like Viper Stone. He’s going to get himself killed.”
“Not my problem,” Jefferson whimpers, scrambling to his feet.
“Yeah, not mine either.”
I grab the front of his shirt again, yanking him close so he can smell the violence coming off me. “If you breathe a word of this conversation to anyone, I will find you, and I will make you wish you’d choked on your own fucking tongue. Understood?”
He nods frantically, his eyes wide with terror.
I shove him away and stride out of the bar, leaving the thumping music and the stench of desperation behind me.
I should go and tell Viper about this idiotic plan, but that will have him crush Maddox before any of the fun starts. I want Maddox to know he fucked up trying to go around Viper. It’s going to be interesting to see this exchange. I want to see the lengths this man will go to protect his charge.
I’ll let their pathetic little plan unfold.
I’ll let Headley and his crew of wannabes think they have this all figured out, and the viper will strike when they least expect it.
Part of me hopes the black mamba comes out to play.
That thing is aggressive as fuck, and Maddox will shit himself.
As much as I’d like to put Maddox in his place now, this is going to be way more fun. For me and probably for Viper as well.